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We are honored that this week's guest instructor is : Randall Cranex

THE JEDI PRIDE


Luminous beings are we ... not this crude matter- Master Yoda


The air was crisp and the stars were twinkling. The millions of lights
on Coruscant cast mysteriously large shadows in-between the amazingly high buildings. A shuttle loomed overhead, the passengers of the shuttle glanced down onto one of the buildings, not only admiring the wonderful architectural beauty, but also the importance of the building.

The new and improved Jedi temple soared over a large majority of
Coruscant's structures. Personal transports constantly zoomed by the temple and the passengers often glanced at the temple with pure respect and honor for the ones inside of the temple. Children in the back seat of the shuttles often whined to their parents, I want to be a Jedi, I want to protect the innocent!  And the mothers would just smile and chuckle, proud of the way their children were thinking, and thrilled that people such as the Jedi existed to cast such a positive influence on their youth.

Citizens of Coruscant were very proud that such an important structure stood on their homeland; so many people from other planets visit Coruscant during their vacations just to see the temple. For so long, the Jedi Knights have carried the most respected reputation in the vast universe. For as long as elders can remember, the Jedi have always been protecting the innocent and eliminating any corruption existing in the galaxies. The Jedi most definitely had something to be proud of.
After much enjoyed time spent at the Jedi Academy, I confidently believe that I have conjured up enough information and experienced enough rough time to earn the duty of teaching my lesson to my fellow Jedi-to-be. The following lesson is dedicated to all of the true Jedi Knights existing in the galaxy, and to the learners who are about to truly become the few and the proud.

Peace over anger.
Honor over hate.
Strength over fear.
-Jedi Apprentice


For generations, the Jedi Knights have carried a solid reputation. The Jedi was always known to be peaceful and honorable. Citizens of all planets looked up to the Jedi with great respect, and the criminals looked up to them with fear. It was not until the year of Luke Skywalker's birth that everything changed. The most feared, yet never thought of day would arrive and shock the whole universe.

A rising power known as the 'Sith' was thought to have been all but destroyed. The Jedi Council would be shocked to discover that the Sith had rearranged itself and now, a hatred-filled Sith Lord was on the hunt for Jedi. His counterpart in this hunt, a fellow Jedi known formally as Anakin Skywalker. Now, hidden in the depths of fear and anger toward his former Jedi master, Anakin would be known as Darth Vader. Without warning, the Sith Lord and his apprentice would attack the Jedi in an attempt to completely destroy them. They knew that without the Jedi, the universe would be begging for a new power, that would be the Sith.

The first attack was on the Jedi Council, and after all but one Jedi Council members were destroyed, they moved on and hired bounty hunters to finish the job with the help of Darth Vader. The hunters and Vader went on a killing spree throughout the universe, killing Jedi while they were sleeping, while they were eating, and even while they were helping innocent bystanders.  The 'holocaust' so to speak, ended when the Sith Lord and his apprentice sensed that the Jedi were now all but extinct. Only two Jedi successfully escaped the death grip of the Sith and their mercenaries. Obi-Wan Kenobi - a young, determined Jedi Knight, and Yoda - a master and dedicated member of the Jedi Council both made their escapes to two separate planets. Yoda ran to a jungle inhabited Dagobagh, and Obi-Wan Kenobi ran to the former slave planet of Anakin Skywalker, Tatooine. For several decades, the two Jedi would remain in hiding. Until, that is, Luke Skywalker ran into Obi-Wan Kenobi when tusken raiders attacked Luke on the planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan would pass away in the future, but his spirit would send Luke to be trained by Jedi Master Yoda in his hiding planet of Dagobagh
.
Several years passed and Luke was now an official Jedi Knight. Luke had defeated Darth Vader who ended up being his long lost father in a permanent and frightening disguise. The Jedi were on their rise, yet again. Luke Skywalker would open up another Jedi Academy with the help of his former apprentice and wonderful pilot, Corran Horn. The Jedi were no officially back, and with great strength. Now here we are, part of the 'offspring' of Luke Skywalker's rebuilt Jedi Academy.

 We in our own way, have managed to construct our own Academy
with the help of Luke's ideas. Just when our planet thought it was
impossible for such people to exist, we have constructed ourselves properly and are on the rise just as Luke's academy was. As I said in the introduction to this lesson, we Jedi have something to be very proud of.

We make things happen that no other could. We withhold advantages that no other human being does. And most of all, we carry on a job whose pay is merely the satisfaction helping those who cannot help themselves. We are the Jedi Knights, we are the 'few and the proudE2809D, and we are becoming stronger a more popular than ever. 

My all time dream is that we Jedi will carry a reputation similar to that
of Luke Skywalker and his thousands of learners. I hope that we will also
become a strong but positive power within our planet, within our galaxy so that we can eliminate corruption on our planet and in our galaxy.

Hopefully, these dreams are not too far fetched, and if they are not, I hope we all survive long enough to see them occur. The point of this entire lesson is to give you pride in yourself. I have read all of the lessons that have been taught at the Jedi Academy and I was shocked to have learned that none of them truly complimented us. Please, do not interpret my words incorrectly, I enjoyed all of the lessons very much, I just believe that we Jedi deserve some complimenting now and again. This is why I spent hours making this lesson. I believe that we need motivation. We
have something to be proud of, my fellow Jedi. I hope that 'The Jedi Pride' will become a popular topic in the forums and will also become a popular lesson to all of you. I also hope that it will become a positive influence and motivation.

You are most likely wondering why I bothered to explain the short history
of the Jedi. I did this to prove and important point. We Jedi have and
never will give up on ourselves. The fact that two Jedi survived the 'Jedi
Holocaust' as I like to call it, proves that we are strong and proud. In
order to succeed in life, one must never give up. Even if he/she does not
enjoy what he/she is doing, even if he/she knows that the task is not
possible, keep pecking at it Never give up, never think that something is
impossible because nothing is I believe that whatever you believe, can
happen. So man people say that the technology for a lightsabre will never
exist when I believe that it can happen. Also, some people believe that the possibility of a force-like power does not and will not exist in a person
when I believe it already does.

The following information is some tips on how to keep your 'Jedi Pride' and how to remain calm in tough situations. I hope you enjoyed my lesson, and hopefully, my other lessons will be posted in the Jedi Academy. If not, I will post them in the forums, look for my name - Randall Cranex and remember, the force will be with you ... always.
Randall Cranex


'A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.' - Jedi Master Yoda


Jedi Pride (defined) - Jedi Pride merely is the self-righteousness that a
Jedi, Jedi Apprentice, or Padawan learner withholds. Being proud of ones self or of another Jedi is something that is imperative. Always keep this trait, 'save you it can!'

Tips on self-confidence and pride:

1) In frustrating situations, do not loose your cool. Remember, you are a
Jedi and Jedi Knights are the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy.

If something is aggravating you, just shrug it off and keep plugging at life.

2) In a situation where one is pushing you around, try to remain calm. Take a deep breath and count to four in your mind. Then let your breath out in a matter of four short seconds. If the situation turns physical, 'let
the person go where he/she wants to go and just step aside form the physical actions or deflect them. Try to walk away whenever possible, if not possible, defend yourself in the quickest way possible.

3) If you are the type that severely cares about your reputation I school,
college, work, or just every day life, do not bring up the fact that you are
a Jedi. If reputation worries you to the point where you do not even want to think of it, then do not take the time in the training and move onto another interest.

4) If someone puts you down, pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Never
give up, never let the bully know that he has gotten to you, and most of all - do not let him/her get to you!

5) In an actual fight, do not fear being struck. This will merely get you
hit more. Remember, pain in most situations is discipline.

6) Last but definitely not least, never, ever give up on anything that you do.

Padawan Learner Randall Cranex

'May the force be with you now and forever.




The Jedi Academy's 2001 Guest Instructor was: McGrif

The Darkside's Speech

"Obi-wan has taught you well... You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me!" ~Darth Vader *The Empire Strikes Back*

You wished life was easy for you, don't you? You wish you could wake up every morning, look out your window and say, "It's going to be a beautiful day."

But we all know that sooner or later, The Darkside drifts in the air around you and tells you, "Don't hide your fear and your anger from me. Let it all out." You've heard this when you experience death in the family; When someone wants to start a fight with you; When you pay your taxes and find out half your paycheck is missing. "Give in to your fear and your anger" It will tell you over and over again. The questions you want to know is....

A. When is the Darkside going to tell you this?
B. How can I block the Darkside from telling you this?
C. How can I keep the darkside from telling me this?


Most of the time, you're not going to know when the Darkside is going to tell you this. I don't even have to describe it to you. Something bad happens to you, you're brain picks out the bad thoughts, your fear kicks in, your anger rages and pretty soon you're doing something you'll regret 24 hours from then. But that's not it. When the darkside tells you this, you could be having the time of your life. You could be the happiest person on the planet at that time. Next time, take a good look. From the time your so happy, to the time when your life is about to get bad. Watch your reaction.

Blocking what the darkside tells you is not an easy task. For that you need help. The Force is your alley. I've seen it perform miracles just when I thought life was going to get tough. What's special about the force is that you don't know exactly when it's going to help you. You just know that it's going to help you. You could be experiencing death in the family and you're heartbroken and a couple of years later, you open your front door and see a kitten on your doorstep. Or how about when your in a middle of a fight at school, the principal rushes over and pulls you both into the principal's office. The force is going to do something. And when it does....Stand back and watch.

Unfortunately, you can't keep the darkside from telling you this. It is going to try to to destroy your life. It will not stop until you have surrendered or you are dead. But.....you can tranquilize his effect on you. You can think of happy thoughts while you're in a tough situation. You can sing. Or...you can practice all what you have learned as a Jedi knight. The only way a Jedi Survives is if that Jedi knows the four corners of his weapon.

Love
Harmony
Respect &
Awareness.


Only then..... What ever the Darkside tells you....

..will soon be silenced.


~Mcgrif

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